Cattle-guard



(No Model.)

L. HILLS. l CATTLE GUARD. NO. 501,785.

Patented July 18,1893.

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Unir-ren STATES LORENZO HILLS, OF

CATTLE-'G UARD.

PITTSBURG, TEXAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `Patent No. 501,785, dated July18, 1893..

Application ned March 13,1893.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, LORENZO HILLS, of Pittsburg, in the county of Campand State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements inCattle-Guards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in cattle guards for railways.

It is customary on railroads, to arrange cattle gaps or guards at pointsopposite fences running at right angles to the railway, so as to preventcattle from wandering upon the track, and endangering themselves and thesafety of the train.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple apparatus which may beapplied conveniently and economically to a cattle gap, and which willprevent cattle from getting their legs caught between the sleepers abovethe gap, which will also prevent cattle from passing over the gap, andwhich willfrighten the cattle from the track.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter de scribed andpointed out in the claims.

Reference is tobe had to the accompanying drawings forming apart of thisspecification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a longitudinal section along the track and through the gap, on theline 2-2 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 inFig. 2.

The railroad is provided with the customary gap 10 made beneath thetrack, and this gap is spanned by sills 11, on which the sleepers 12 aresupported, these being arranged beneath the track rails 13 in the usualway. Qne part of the gap is covered by a xed platform 14E, and the otherpart (which is the side from which the cattle are likely to approach) iscovered by a vertically movable platform 15, which extends beneath therails and across the track, this platform being preferably strengthenedby end cleats 15, and it is hinged at one edge on the cross-rod 1G,which is supported in suitable bearings on the sills 11. The sleepersbeneath the swinging platform 15 `are recessed, as shown at 16 in Figs.2 and 3, to provide for the movement of the platserin N5. 465,778. onmodel.)

allel with the sleepers, and is supported in hangers 24 and 25.- lt willbe understood that one arm 22 may be used instead of two, buttwo or moreare preferably employed, as this arrangement is stronger, and the otherparts are easily connected between the arms.

To the inner ends of the arms 22, which practically form a single arm,is fastened a depending brace 26, which is twisted near the center, asshown at 27, and is widened out at the bottom, as shown at 28, its lowerend being secured to a rod 29 which extends parallel With the shaft 23,and which carriesupwardly-extending guard strips 30, which are adaptedwhen swung upward, to project between the platforms 14 and 15, and torise to a full height to preventcattle from passing them. There arepreferably three of these guard strips 30, one being arranged to moveupward between the rails 13, and the other two being disposed outside ofthe rails, and they are held to move between the shaft 162L and theguide rod 31 which extends parallel with the shaft and is held insuitable keepers 32 on the sills 11. The guard strips are preferably ofmetal which is of sufficient stiffness to stand upright, but which underany heavy pressure will bend over, so that in case there is astampede ofcattle when the guard strips are up,

the cattle may push over the guard strips.

and pass them without injury, after which the guard strips may be bentup again ready for use. The guard strips 30 should be painted somebright color so that when suddenly thrust upward they will frighten thecreature actuating them so that said creature will leave the track.

The operation of the guard is as follows: When a creature steps upon themovable platform 15, the platform is depressed, thus' swinging down oneend of the arms 22 and lifting the other, as shown bydotted lines in IOOFig. 2, and this movement carries upward the brace 26 and rod 29, so asto thrust the guard strips 30 above the track, as shown by dotted linesin Fig. 2. The arrangement described is adapted for use where the cattleare likely to approach from one side only, but it will be understoodthat if cattle are likely to approach from both sides of the gap, theapparatus may be duplicated so that there will be amovable platform oneach side of the gap, and guard strips for each platform, these be ingactuated as described.

It will be understood that the sleepers or ties may be dispensed withand the sills 11 arranged to support both the rails and the platform 15,the sills being suitably recessed and the platform cnt away to permitthe necessary movement of the latter.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. The combination, with a railway track, of a swingingplatform pivoted thereon, a tilting arm arranged beneath the platform,aconnecting arm extending from one end of the tilting arm to theplatform, a brace secured to the opposite end of the tilting arm, andguard strips carried by the brace and adapted to be thrust upward abovethe track, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the railway track, of a swinging platformarranged thereon, a tilting arm arranged beneath the platform, aconnecting arm extending from one end of the said arm to the platform,guard strips carried by the tilting arm and adapted to be thrust upwardabove the track at one edge of the platform, and a guide rod arrangedtransversely on the track and adjacent to the guard strips,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a pivoted platform provided with a depending armat its free end,

of a pivoted arm below the platform to which the depending arm ispivoted, a brace proj ecting from the pivoted arm, and guard stripscarried at the free end of the said brace, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a pivoted platform provided with a dependingarm, of a pivoted arm below the platform to which the depending arm ispivoted, a brace secured to the inner end of the pivoted arm, said bracebeing twisted near its center and having its lower y

